


Swaddled in Blankets

by KirbyWrites



Series: Short Drabbles I Decided To Make [4]
Category: Kirby (Video Games), Kirby - All Media Types, Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 17:40:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18211487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirbyWrites/pseuds/KirbyWrites
Summary: Meta Knight is deemed the Strongest Warrior in the Galaxy. But there are some things that not even the strongest warrior can overcome without the help of his friends... and one of those things is a fever.





	Swaddled in Blankets

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to post something for Meta Knight's birthday but felt too lazy to make one just for that purpose. And since a lot of people liked the Smash family fluff I posted a few weeks back, I decided to post more.

Everything was just so cold. Even though he was under two blankets, he still felt like he was freezing. Meta Knight shivered and buried his unmasked face into his pillow with a raspy whimper, curling himself in an even tighter ball than he already was. _Dear heart! Are you alright?_ Galaxia's worried voice filled his mind and warmed him, though not by much. Her sacred fire did nothing to fend off the relentless cold he felt everywhere; he ducked further beneath the blankets and pulled his feet in as far as he could to avoid the chilly parts of the bed. Though there really was no avoiding the icy parts, since those icy parts were basically everywhere.

_Fine, Galaxia… Just really cold… could you form and get me another blanket, please?_

_If you don't feel well, are you sure you want me to get another one? I might drain too much of your energy._

_It'll take less than two minutes, Galaxia… Please?_ The sword did not respond, but a flash of light came and soon, a golden puffball with white armor and ruby eyes appeared. “It's quite warm in here, Meta Knight. I know I asked you before, but are you sure you want another blanket?”

“Yes… hurry up, please…” Galaxia unfolded dragon wings and flew up, lifting a fluffy navy blanket from its place on the shelf and draping it over her champion. Her gloved paw brushed the knight's head and she quickly drew it back; the puff was burning up!

“Something wrong, Galaxia..?” The Star Warrior murmured. Galaxia had no idea what to say, since anything she said could make it worse.

“Nothing. Nothing's wrong.” She disappeared, and Meta Knight snuggled into the blankets. Everything felt just a tiny bit warmer, and he was so, so tired. He heard his voice being called, but all he needed was his precious sleep. Whoever was calling him could wait.

 

 

The knight groggily opened his eyes and shifted so his face was in the pillow again. He was feeling worse than before; his throat was parched and he didn't have the energy to move, much less get up. He was hungry, but he couldn't do anything about it. The blue puff slapped a paw on his sidetable and felt around until he found his hand mirror. Maybe it would show why he felt so terrible. When the warrior turned and gazed at its reflective surface, he weakly gasped. His silver eyes were glazed over and half-closed; there was a pink fever blush arcing across his face. His cheeks were bright red and his body, normally navy blue like the blanket on top of him, was more grayish than usual. Meta Knight carefully set the mirror back where it was with his shaking arm, and shuddered, wishing no one would come in. The wish was immediately thwarted, as the door unlocked and in came Dedede with Kirby on his back. “Mety Knighty! Where were ya? Master Hand called ya for a brawl hours ago, and ya never showed!” King Dedede shouted. He stopped when he saw the knight buried under blankets. “Ya feel alright?” The blue puff let out a pained mewl, and Dedede pulled down the blankets.

“Here now. Ya don’t have to use three blankets in a room this warm.” Meta Knight reached for the blankets, shivering harder at the freezing air, and pitifully whimpered when he couldn’t grab them. The king, seeing how miserable his friend looked, tossed the blankets back and sat down on the edge of the bed. The knight pawed at the cloth and buried himself again, sighing when he finally regained his lost warmth.

“You don’t seem too good, Meta. If you’re sick, we can help you,” Kirby offered. “I mean, you usually don’t miss any of your brawls.”

“Kirby’s right,” Dedede added. “If ya feel ill, we’ll cover for ya. Now just let me see ya for a sec-” The king cut off his sentence when he saw the blue puff’s face. Kirby gasped, and King Dedede placed his hand on top of the warrior, who clutched the blankets harder and flinched.

“Sweet Nova’s grace, Meta, you’re burnin’ like Kirby’s Fire ability! No wonder ya didn’t show for yer brawl.” He left Meta Knight alone and turned to Kirby.

“Kirby, you go make some Maxim Tomato soup. Drop a few Heart Containers in there, too. I got a feelin’ he needs ‘em.” The pink puff saluted and left the room. Dedede turned back to the knight and flung the blankets off the bed and onto the couch. The Star Warrior whimpered and curled up when the king scooped him into his arms, grabbing his robes to keep warm. The king of Dreamland lightly slapped the puff’s paws away and began stroking his head. A quiet, raspy purr emerged from the sick puffball and he nuzzled closer to Dedede’s feathers. The king held on to Meta Knight with one arm while he turned the bathtub on. On him, the knight felt like a fireball, meaning that his fever was too high for it to be healthy. Once the water filled a quarter of the tub, the king turned the water off and eased the blue puff in, who whimpered and clung onto his arms to try and avoid the water.

“Shh… I know it’s cold, Meta… hang in there, ok? Please? There’s no way to make ya feel better unless we get that temperature of yours down. Here, I’ll keep pettin’ ya if it makes you stay in the water longer.” The king of Dreamland stroked the top of the puff’s head and the puffball bit his lip to keep from complaining, but it was just so _cold_ and he hated it. Luckily for him, the king was very lenient. At his friend’s feeble splashing, Dedede lifted the Star Warrior out of the water and gently wiped him with a towel.

“No use, huh? Alright, I’ll dump ya on the couch and get you an ice pack or somethin’. Water or no water, you need that fever down somehow.”

 

 

Dedede grabbed the blankets from Meta Knight’s bed and used them to make a soft cocoon around him. Meta Knight was lying on the couch, an ice pack on his head and damp cloth on his wings. The king folded two of the blankets on the floor to make a comfortable, shady place for his friend to sleep, and once his makeshift mattress under the coffee table was done, he picked the knight up, careful to keep his coverings undisturbed, and placed him under it. Dedede was just about to leave and check on Kirby’s progress on the soup when he heard his friend from under. “Earlier… you were talking about water?” Meta Knight begged. The king turned back and met the puff’s pleading, glazed eyes; Dedede almost slapped himself when he realized that despite all his warnings of the knight having to stay cool, the king hadn’t even gotten the puff any water! He found a water bottle in the fridge and passed it under the table before hearing a quiet thanks and grateful water slurping. The empty bottle soon rolled out from under the table and Dedede chuckled quietly. He grabbed two more water bottles and rolled them under the table.

“Don't drink those now, or you'll make yourself sick- well, worse than you already are.” He handed Meta Knight his phone, covered him with the one blanket that he hadn't used for the mattress, and changed his dressings and ice pack.

“I'm going to go and check on Kirby's progress with the soup. If ya need anything, just call and I'll come runnin’ back. 'Kay? And don't exert yourself too much.” The knight nodded and the king held up his fist for a fist bump. The puff on the floor bumped, though it wasn't as strong as usual, and Dedede left the room, closing the door with a _click_.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Well? How do you feel now, Meta Knight?_ The knight in question sighed, drank some water, and shifted on his “bed”.

_Better than before… though the ice pack is melting… and I don't think Dedede made the cloth on my wings wet enough… They’re starting to dry up, and it’s making me colder._

_You can go and do it yourself, can't you? Surely, having challenged the greatest warrior in the galaxy, you have the strength to get up and get your own ice pack._

_I'm stuck here… I haven't eaten anything since I woke up. I don’t have the energy; strength doesn’t play a part in this. Plus, the king_ did _tell me not to push myself too hard._ The blue puffball felt the uncomfortable cold coming back and he flipped so his face was near the ground, not caring that his wings hit the table and everything on him fell off. Without the ice and wet cloth on him, the fever returned, harder and more merciless than ever. Meta Knight couldn't feel anything as the fever chills came back and he buried himself under all of the blankets. He pulled the cloth over his head and found the last water bottle before downing every last drop inside.

_Dear heart, if you're this hot, you have no choice but to get another ice pack and some more water. Dedede's not going to get here in time to get it for you. It’s no use calling him, and he might not even answer._

_That’s true… Fine, I’ll get it myself, G-galaxia… I'm just so cold… everything's so cold…_

_The reason you're cold is because everything else has a lower temperature than you do. Meaning that you have a fever, dear heart._

_I already know that… but it feels terrible to have everything be so cold…_

_If you feel cold, just wrap the blankets around you while you walk. It won’t take that long. I’ll give you some of my own energy to help you along._ The knight grabbed all the blankets and wrapped himself up like he usually would with his cape, feeling Galaxia’s fiery energy inside him. It didn’t make him feel any better, but at least he could walk. He plodded to the fridge and got it open, but the frigid air made him gasp and close it. The blue puff tried again; closing his eyes and drawing the blankets tighter around his form, he reached inside and found a bag of ice, which he gratefully placed on his head. After he closed the fridge, the room began to spin around him and Meta Knight grabbed the nearby table to steady himself.

 _Meta Knight, hurry! I can’t hold you for much longer! Be careful, you’re going to-_ The knight didn’t hear the rest of his sword’s voice as he collapsed on the wooden floor of the kitchen. He struggled to keep his eyes open and do something, _anything_ , but he was so exhausted and the floor was pleasantly warm. The Star Warrior gave up fighting and let himself descend into the cozy realm of sleep.

 

 

Dedede was whistling as he carried the pot of Maxim Tomato soup. The pot was bigger than Kirby was, so he couldn’t be expected to carry it. The pink puff gladly opened the door for the king to set the pot down on the counter. “Meta? Meta, where are ya?” He called, wandering around the room. He stepped on something soft, and the king looked down. When he saw the unconcsious puff on the floor, Dedede panicked and scooped him up, throwing the blankets off his feverish body.  
“Kirby! Kirby, get the tub half-full of cold water. I found Meta, and he ain’t farin’ so well,” the king shouted, his tone betraying his worry.

“Got it! I’ll have it done in a flash!” Kirby replied. Dedede gazed at his friend. The fever blush had darkened into red, just like his cheeks, and he was just as drained of color as he had been before. The king checked Meta Knight over, making sure he was alive.

“He's fine… Meta's alive… burnin’ up inside, but he's alive… hang on, we're gonna cool ya down…” Dedede reassured himself, petting the puffball's head. He should’ve stayed. He should never have gone off to check on Kirby. What was he thinking, leaving the sick puffball alone like that? He carried the knight to the bathroom and, seeing that the tub was half-full, gently lowered him inside. The Star Warrior's glassy eyes opened and he struggled to get out of the king's firm grip.

“Meta, you can't get out. That fever of yours is too high. Look, it's either us or Dr. Mario, and he'd have to see your face. Just calm down, the water will warm up soon enough.” Meta Knight stopped shivering and he relaxed; the water _was_ getting warmer. It lapped at his back, cooling his wings and making it feel like he was at the beach. Dedede began petting the nerves near the base of the knight's wings and he began to purr, sinking deeper into the water. When the king felt the back of the puffball’s head, he felt a wave of relief. The puff had cooled down considerably and he seemed just a bit more lively than he had been before.

“Thanks, Dedede…” The knight sighed contentedly. “Are you finished with the soup? I’m famished…”

“Yep. I’ll get the soup and stuff ready with some blankets and everything. Kirby’ll take care of ya until I’m done. Ya just kick back and take a rest,” Dedede commanded. “Remember, I’m still your king and ya can’t argue with me! So no more work ‘til ya get better!”

“Yes, Great King.”

 

 

Kirby dashed in and out of the bathroom, blankets bundled in his arms. When Meta Knight finally came out, he had been effectively and cutely cocooned in blankets, his hands gripping the edges and the pink puff preventing him from tripping on them. Once the knight got close enough, Dedede scooped him up, a startled squeal coming from the puff inside. The king chuckled and dropped him on the couch before pulling the blankets off the top of his head and placing an ice pack on top. The Star Warrior nestled into the blankets, Kirby at his side, and gratefully received the bowl of Maxim Tomato soup. Dedede had barely started on his when the blue puff pushed his closer to the pot.

“Ya really that hungry, Meta? Surprising,” the king snickered, picking up the ladle and pouring in some more.

“I haven’t eaten all day… give me a break, will you?” Meta Knight retorted. “The question I should be asking is why you were so late with it.”

“You try breaking a Heart Container. Those things are near undestructable, and I thought you’d be fine on your own for a while.”

“Indestructible, your Majesty. And I’ve broken a Heart Container before. It’s quite easy when you have a sword.”

“Sure.” By this time, the sick puff had already finished his second bowl of soup and with Kirby, started on his third. Dedede knew there was no way his friend was eating that quickly with a spoon. There had to be at least some puffball inhaling going on.

“Meta, don’t eat too fast,” Kirby giggled. “You’ll get a stomachache.” The knight did not respond, but instead set his bowl on the table and immediately fell asleep.

“Should we wake him up?” Kirby asked, reaching over to Meta Knight and getting ready to shake him.

“Nah, let him sleep. Poor guy's exhausted with him collapsing from the fever and whatnot. But the least we can do is carry him to his bed.”

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, Meta Knight felt almost like himself again. He was still slightly warm, but it was nothing compared to what it had been yesterday. He slipped into his armor and felt the cool metal of it against his body. Grabbing and sheathing Galaxia, the sword began to speak.

_Glad to see you're feeling better, dear heart. It's good to have you back to normal. You look much better._

_Thank you. Nothing feels any colder than it's supposed to, and quite frankly, it's amazing. I never did like the cold._

_No one does. Unless you're Dedede._ The knight smiled under his mask and opened the door. He stretched his wings, glad to feel the warm air flowing around them. The blue puff came across the cafeteria and went in for his usual cup of tea. Once it was finished, he sat down at one of the tables, waving at Dedede and Kirby as they passed. Then Rosalina floated in the door and her Luma, floating obediently by her side, squealed and hugged him. The knight was bewildered as he pulled his mask down and set his tea on the table.

“She quite missed you yesterday,” Rosalina laughed. “I assumed you were either busy or ill, and it seemed more likely for the latter. It was only confirmed when your friends brought some soup in your room.” She decided not to mention the fact that with her magical prowess, she could easily see through walls and that she had seen him ill in his room.

“Ah… okay… hello there, young one,” Meta Knight hesitantly said, petting the Luma and pushing it away from him at the same time. “What’s that you have, Rosalina?”

“It’s chocolate I bought from another planet. The moment I figured out that you weren’t well, I had to bring something to you. As I don’t have any other suitable gifts and the books I have are in a language you couldn’t possibly understand, I thought you’d like it. As you know, I travel the universe and on almost all planets, there’s at least one kind of chocolate. I buy at least ten bars of everything I see.”

“Interesting… you eat it all? It seems like a lot of chocolate for just the leader of the Comet Observatory.”

“Heavens, no! The Lumas often take it, and this is their favorite kind. Sadly, I don’t recognize the language they used to print the label, and the Lumas have been begging me to buy more. If you could tell me where this is from, Sir Meta Knight, it would do me wonders.” The knight examined it and turned it over in his paws.

“This planet is actually quite close to Popstar. This is from Halfmoon, I’ve been there before. I never knew the planet sold milk chocolate stars,” the Star Warrior noted. “Then again, I was only there for the power star to summon Nova, so I didn’t spend very much time around the locals.”

“Of course. No wonder the Lumas liked it so much,” Rosalina replied with a grin. “It makes so much sense now. Well, enjoy your treat, Meta Knight. I’ll see you around.” The knight glanced around the room before slowly lifting his mask to expose his mouth and drink the rest of the tea. Then he gradually ripped the chocolate open and took a tentative bite. To his delight, the chocolate was delicious; sweet and light at the same time, before fading to a hint of… was that raspberry? The Star Warrior leaned back in his chair and bit into the sweet again. A day that started with chocolate would always be a good day in his books.


End file.
